Checkrein-hook.



No. 69!,836. Patented Ian. 28, I902.

a. w. BEGOLE.

GHECKREIN HOOK.

(Application filed Jan. 31, 1901.)

(No Model.)

m; .P F

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

coanon'w. BEGOLE, or YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN. I

CHECKRE'lN-HQQK.

srncrr'roerrolvrorming part of Letters Patent No. 691, 3 dated January 28, 1902.

Applioationfilecl January 31, 1901. Serial No: 45,405. (Non odeh) v To all whom it may concern;

a citizen of the United States of America,-re-,

siding at Ypsilanti, in the county of Washtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oheckrein-Hooks, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention refers to a device for holding the checkrein of a harness and prevent it from being accidentally disengaged; and the invention consists in thenovel construc tion and arrangement of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, and shown in th accompanying drawings, in which 7 Figure 1 is' an elevation of my improved checkrein-hook with the retaining lever shown in its open and closed positions. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section thereof. Fig. 3 is a detached elevation of the hook-post. Fig. 4 is a detached perspective of the retaining-lever. Fig. 5 represents the form of blank from which the halves of the retaining-lever are formed. Fig. 6 is a detached bottom plan of the base-plate. Fig. 7 is a central vertical section of the base-plate on line w 00, Fig. 6. .Fig. 8 is a cross-section on the line 3 y, Fig. 1. r

A is the hook-post, provided with a base portion 13, by means of which the device is attached to the harness-saddle in the usual manner. This base is formed of a common screw-bolt having a suitably large head and a screw-threaded shank. The hook-post B is fiat and substantially ring-shaped and forms a circular eye a, with an opening 6 leading into the upper front portion of the eye and dividing the post into a front standard Oand a rearstandard D. The latter is formed with an upper extension 0 above the front standard and terminating in an enlarged head 0, preferably of ornamental outline.

This check-hook is stamped, in the form shown in Fig. 3, from sheet metal, and the manner of securing it to the base is by forming it integrally at its base with two lugs d (1, having protuberances d,and correspondingly therewith the head of the screw-bolt is formed with two slots e, diametrically opposite each other and of a size to receive these lugs. The slots e are countersunk upon their underside, so that by rivetheading the lugs d in said countersunk slots the protuberances (Zwill fill outthe countersinks, and thereby 'unite the parts more firmly together.

E is a hook-shaped retaining-lever formed with an eye a, corresponding to the eye a of" the check-hook post, butwith the opening leading into it somewhat larger. This re-' taining-lever is pivotally secured upon the check-hook post by meansof a rivetf passing through the top of the front standard 0 and by means of a central longitudinal slot min the retaining-lever formed intermediate between its ends and adapted to embrace the hook and permit theretaining-lever to be opened and closed, as more fully hereinafter described. The retaining-lever beingflthu's pivoted forms a short arm 9 and a long arm h, the latter extending rearwardly beyond the check-hook post and terminating in a rounded-01f and slightly downwardly bent finger-piece h.' The front end or short arm of the retaining-lever is adapted to close the eye a of the check-hook post and has a slot 11 formed in its free end, by means of which it engages the extension 0 of the standard D when the retaining-lever is closed.

F is a spring-actuated latch pivotally secured to the rear end of the arm h of the retaining-lever at the under side thereof. This latch is formed at its free end with a hook j, adapted to engage into a notch Z on the standard D, and has a finger-piece m, extending direclly beneath the finger-piece h of the retaining lever. The latch is secured by means on the latch, and projecting into a slot in the J retaining-lever, a wire spring 19 being loosely coiled upon the rivet and bearing with its free ends against the lever and latch, respectively, to cause it to automatically engage the latch with the notch Z.

The retaining-lever is made of two like halves, each formed of a sheet-metal blank G, (shown in Fig. 5,) by forming the same be tween dies, the blank being cut away at proper intervals along its outer edges, so that the parts when formed and united together by the rivets will solidly contact with each other along the projecting edges, while the [cutaway portions form the required slots in the lever.

The parts being constructed as shown and described, the operation of the device is illteuded to be as follows: When the retaininglever is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it is firmly locked in position by the latch engaging into the notch l, and a checkrein engaged into the eye formed by the post and lever together is securely held in position, and all strain is taken up by the hook or standard (1. By pressing against the under side of the finger-piece h the latch will be unlocked and the retaining-lever can be raised up, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. In this position the arm 9 projects forwardly and upwardly, and if in this position a chockrein is engaged with it and the lever then pressed down and locked itwill draw the checkrein right into the eye of the post. Likewise at the reverse movement the lever itself carries the checkrein out of the eye of the post. In closing the retaining-lever the hook j of the latch rides upon the rear face of the standard and is thus automatically engaged into the notch Z. As the slot 2' in the retaining-lever embraces the top of the standard D, the parts mutually support and strengthen each other and form a complete eye in the post.

To prevent any injury to the retaining-lever or latch by using too much force in opening or closing, the ends of the slot in the lever are made to act as stops to limit its movement.

In my construction of checkrein-hook the eye in the post cannot be opened by any strain short of breaking the device, as the retaininglever is positivelylocked by the latch. At the same time it requires less force to open and close the lever than where friction is relied on to lock the parts together. Moreover, frictionlocks soon become inoperative by the constant Wearing of the parts. Further, my experience has taught me that checkreinhooks are often subjected to Very considerable straiu-as, for instance, in the case of a horse stumbling or with horses having a very hard mouth or certain vicious habitsand therefore strength is a requisite factor in the construction of these devices. Now in the prior state of the art I have never found a checkrein-hook of the locking type of mine that could be economically constructed any other way than by casting the principal parts, at least the post, and for this reason the reqnisite strength could not he obtained in any other way than bya much larger and heavier construction, which makes them much less desirable than mine, in which not a particle of cast material is employed.

What I claim as my invention is-- 1. In a checkrein-hook of the character described, the combination of the headed screwbolt 13, having the slots 6 formed in its head, and the part A formed with front and rear standards 0 D, and with lugs d adapted to engage the slots 6 of the bolt, the two parts being united by upsetting the lugs 61 after they have passed through the slots e as specified.

2. In a checkrein-hook of the character described, the combination of the headed screwbolt B, having slots 6 formed in opposite sides of its head, which slots are countersunk upon their under side, and the part A formed with a front standard 0 and a rear standard D, said part being stamped out of sheet metal with lugs d having protuberances d for uniting the parts together to form the hook-post, substantially as described.

3. In a checkrein-hook of the character described, a hook-post composed of the part A forming the hookpost proper, and a base formed of a common large-headed screw-bolt B, said bolt formed with slots e in its head, and the partA with the projecting lugs 01 engaging into said slots, the two parts being united by upsetting the lugs d after they have passed through the slots e as specified.

4. In a checkrein-hook, the combination of a ring-shaped hook-post A, having front and rear standards 0 D, forming between them the eye a, and the opening 1) leading into it, a hook-shaped retaining-lever E pivotally secured upon the front standard, and having a slot to receive the hook-post, and move thereon to open and close the eye in said hookpost, said retaininglever being of tubular cross-section, constructed in halves secured together and having marginal portions of each half cut away to form the slot in the retaining-lever.

5. In a checkrein-hook, the combination of a ring-shaped post A, having front and rear standards 0, D, forming between them the eye a and the opening 1) leading into the top of the eye, a hook-shaped retaining-lever E pivotally secured upon the front standard and slotted intermediate between its ends, to receive the hook-post and move thereon, one end of said slot acting as a stop to limit the movement of the lever, said lever forming a short arm adapted to close the eye of the hook-post, and a long arm adapted to fold upon the hook-post and projecting rearwardly beyond the same, and a locking-latch carried by the rear end of said arm and adapted to engage in a notch on the rear side of the hookpost to lock the retaining-lever in its closed position.

6. In a checkrein-hook, the combination of a ring-shaped hook-post A, having an opening 1) in the front, near the top leading into the eye of the hook-post, and separating the same into a front standard 0 and a rear standard D, the latter provided with an upward extension or tongue c, a hook-shaped retaining-lever pivotally secured upon the top of the front standard, and vertically slotted to receive the hook-post, and move thereon to open and close the eye of the hook-post, said lever having a short arm 9 slotted at its free end and adapted in the closed position of the lever to close the eye of the hook-post and embrace the tongue 0, of the rear standard and a long arm adapted in the closed position of the lever to fold upon the front standard and lower portion of the hook-post, and pro- I Z for said hook to engage into to lockthe re- :0

ject with its free end rearwardly beyond the taming-lever in its closed position.

same, and alocking-latch F pivot-ally secured In testimony whereof I afiix my signature to said free end on the under side thereof, in presence of two witnesses.

said locking-latch having a finger-piece at its outer end and extending beneath the rear end GORDON BEGOLE' of the retaining-lever and a hook j at its in-' i l Witnesses:

OTTO F. BARTHEL, JOSEPH A. NOELKE.

ner end adapted to ride upon the rear face of the hook-post, said rear face having a notch 

